The Tacoma, Gladiator and Ranger May Have a New Unexpected Rival Soon

Volkswagen may finally muster up the courage to produce a pickup for North Americans.

Red Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck rear side with 4MOTION badge, V6 emblem, and black bed liner.

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Published April 6, 2026

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Updated April 6, 2026

The midsize pickup war is gaining so much momentum that Volkswagen is apparently taking notice. According to our friends at Motor1, the Wolfsburg-based automaker may finally bring its own open-bed rig to the States.

I say finally, because VW has had a pickup for almost two decades. It’s called the Amarok, and Volkswagen introduced it in 2010, mainly for Australian, South American and Asian export markets.

VW hasn’t sold it to Americans for a variety of reasons. But given the influx of interest in the segment, VW could be inclined to bring an Amarok or some sort of spinoff to us Yanks.

Nothing is confirmed, but it also hasn’t been denied

Red Volkswagen Amarok V6 pickup truck parked on a gravel surface with snow-capped mountains in the background. — Volkswagen could finally be considering a pickup for Americans.

In an interview discussion with CEO Kjell Gruner, VW’s chief said the segment is definitely of interest for the brand. Particularly for the North American market.

While a VW pickup isn’t new and the brand has demonstrated success with the Amarok in its respective markets, it would be a first for Americans.

Gruner made note of the preexisting rivals like the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Ram’s incoming Dakota and Hyundai’s new entrant. With so many players in the space, it’s obvious the market exists.

Red Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck driving on a mountain road with blurred background. — Volkswagen started producing a pickup in 2010 when it introduced the Amarok.

“Of course, if a market is that size, you can’t just say, I’m going to ignore it, and we don’t. So of course, we look at that,” Gruner said. “We look at C-pickup, B-pickup, et cetera. You know, how are these segments developing? And I wouldn’t want to rule it out at all, a pickup truck is not ruled out.”

To be unibody, or to be body-on-frame, that is the question

Red Volkswagen Amarok V6 pickup truck driving through a shallow rocky river surrounded by trees. — To date, the VW Amarok has been hugely successful with over 800,000 sold since 2010.

If VW does proceed with an American-bound midsize pickup, the next big question would be whether it goes old-fashioned or takes the unibody approach, a la Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz. When asked the question, Gruner declined to specify.

But he did note that “both can be successful,” depending on how VW markets the car.

Volkswagen car interior with black leather steering wheel, digital dashboard, and vertical touchscreen navigation display. — The VW Amarok uses the same Ford T6 platform as the current Ranger.

“It depends a bit what we want to do with it, because body-on-frame helps, of course, if you want to go more off road and rugged, versus on-road positioning [with] unibody,” Gruner continued. “Also, you could leverage existing unibody platforms. So, they have pros and cons. There’s not one clear-cut solution.”

The original and current Amarok utilizes a conventional body-on-frame platform. However, the current second-gen model shares its chassis with the Ranger and utilizes the Ford T6 platform. The original Amarok utilized a pickup frame bespoke to VW.

Four Volkswagen pickup trucks in gray, beige, white, and blue parked on rocky terrain under a dramatic cloudy sky. — Introduced in 2010, the Amarok remains a huge hit in Australia, South America and Asian export markets.

Given that VW already has the Amarok and it utilizes the same backbone as the Ford Ranger, it would make sense to utilize and standardize it for a US-specification vehicle. Rather than making a completely new one or building one off of a preexisting unibody SUV, like the Tiguan, as both would be rather costly ventures.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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